


Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Other Phenomenons

by spooky_mars



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/M, Inej gets tipsy, Kaz is having some internal struggles, M/M, Matthias is weirdly philosophical, The Ice Court Job but it's a whole different plan, i dont have the book to reference so pleASE excuse any setting or plot mistakes i made, i just really wanted to write a fluffy flashback with kaz and inej okAY, inej wants her apology, jesper and wylan are wearing acrobat uniforms, kaz is wearing a magician costume, nina WILL box Kaz if he doesn't stop avoiding his feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-04-24 20:18:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19180663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spooky_mars/pseuds/spooky_mars
Summary: “Why can't we relax for a bit?” Inej countered. “We're ahead of schedule and can't do anything until 9 and a half bells. We've gotten this far into this stupidly impossible mission. Let us relax a bit, Kaz. Don't be ignorant to our success so far. Ignorance blinds the insecure.”Like any bug, Kaz's spider found a way to get under his skin. He waved a dismissive hand. “The insecure are blinded by fortune, dear Inej. Don’t get the two mixed up.”Nina scoffed at him. “You must be the most insecure bastard in the Barrel then if you dragged us here.”Inej gets a little tipsy, and it leads to Kaz getting a flashback of a special moment.





	1. Kaz Ticks Off Inej: The Sequel to Kaz Degrades Inej to an Inevestment

**KAZ**

 

 The crew had entered the festivities in waves. First Wylan and Jesper, donned in acrobat uniforms, slipped past the guard checkpoint easily. Nina with her Menagerie cloak and Matthias with a firebreather’s uniform were next with Nina cheekily leading Matthias through the guard checkpoint. The guards had barely looked at the papers before letting the duo through. Kaz noticed the guards were flushed red, no doubt from crude nonsense Nina was likely purring to them. Kaz had the thought to be amused by it, but he shifted his attention to the silent lynx beside him.

 The lynx was swathed in silks, but her posture was that of a cat ready to pounce. Her kohl-outlined gaze slid over to Kaz, and he raised a brow at her.

_ Relax. Look like you’re ready for a party _ , he urged silently. The plan wouldn’t work if Inej looked ready to start a brawl.

The silk around her shoulders shifted as she took in a deep breath. Without a word, she walked away towards the checkpoint. Kaz was pleased to see a relaxed undertone to her stroll.

 She handed her papers to the guards, and after a moment of scrutiny, she collected her papers and sashayed into the celebration. She tossed a glance back at Kaz as if to say “I’m ready for a party. Are you?”

Kaz waited a few seconds, adjusted the satin gloves temporarily replacing his trademark leather, and approached the checkpoint. He pulled his papers from the inner pocket of his jacket and handed them to the guard on his right.

“It says you’re supposed to have brown eyes.” The guard had spoken in broken Kerch, and Kaz took a second to register what he’d said.

Kaz cursed internally. He told Nina she should’ve left his eyes alone. Nevertheless, he grinned. “It’s all a part of the illusion.”

The guard tugged on the foolish magician’s cape Kaz was wearing. He shrugged and let Kaz pass through.

Kaz ascended the stairs that lead to the second level of partying then stopped to scan the crowd from the banister. Military men crowded around the royal family,  _ drüskelle  _ clustered around refreshment tables, and normal partygoers marveled at the tricks the entertainers provided. It was mundane enough.

 Jesper and Wylan were in their attention-calling uniforms of red, blue, and gold. They conversated with the younger partygoers while feigning acrobatic stretches. Kaz would've liked to butt into their conversation and remind them not to make themselves memorable, but between their uniforms and Jespers lankiness, it was a lost cause.

Purple silks highlighted Inej's movements down below. She slinked through the crowd, batting eyelashes and flashing a dazzling smile at any man who neared her before she dove into the crowd again. By the way she wove through the crowd, Kaz knew she was already making her way to the meeting point.

And that is where Nina and Matthias were. They were whispering to each other, and Nina was careful to keep her expression flirtatious in the case that they piqued unwanted interest. Kaz knew her expression wasn't solely to convince guests. Nina seemed to love making Matthias flustered.

Kaz's eyes drew back to Inej as she passed behind Jesper and Wylan. The barest of nods passed between Wylan and Inej before she disappeared back into the crowd.  Wylan nudged Jesper to grab his attention, and the two excused themselves. They traveled through the crowd like tourists— stopping at refreshment tables and entertainers before they met up with Nina and Matthias. Inej approached them shortly after.

They were now waiting for him. That's how Kaz preferred things. He couldn't stand to wait too long for others. It was a waste of time. Too many things had to be done at any given time, and waiting for someone to catch up only slowed him down. Perhaps that was why he'd taken a liking to Inej. She could catch up easily to Kaz, and if not, she found a way to meet him shortly up the road.

Kaz made his way to the meeting point. He was aware of the guests watching him, waiting for him to disappear or produce some sort of object from thin air. He ignored them. The tricks would be done later.

Jesper was the first to speak when Kaz arrived.

“This is so much fun.”

Kaz frowned at him. “We aren't here for fun.”

“Well, I know that, but the food here is really good and the Fjerdans are actually really entertaining once you get over the language barrier. Can't we party for a bit?”

“No. We can't afford to let our guard down at all. Did you forget about the 30 million  _ kruge _ on the line? Did greed release his hold on you? We need to stay focused.”

Jesper and Wylan shared a look heavy with disappointment, Nina pouted, and even Matthias grumbled something under his breath. Kaz looked at Inej, waiting for her to agree with him.

“Why can't we relax for a bit?” Inej countered. “We're ahead of schedule and can't do anything until 9 and a half bells. We've gotten this far into this stupidly impossible mission. Let us relax a bit, Kaz. Don't be ignorant to our success so far. Ignorance blinds the insecure.”

Like any bug, Kaz's spider found a way to get under his skin. He waved a dismissive hand. “The insecure are blinded by fortune, dear Inej. Don’t get the two mixed up.”

 Nina scoffed at him. “You must be the most insecure bastard in the Barrel then if you dragged us  _ here _ .”

 Kaz gave her a frosted glare, but he relented to the majority vote. “Fine. Meet back here at 9 and a half bells. Don’t do anything foolish or immature.”

 The last part was mostly directed at Jesper, but Kaz had no doubt that the others could compromise the mission if they had the right potations in their system.

 The crew dispersed. Jesper and Wylan practically skipped back to the center of attention while Nina and Matthias cautiously approached the druskelle and the refreshment tables. Inej had disappeared, so Kaz made his way over to the tables on the far side of the ballroom.

 He had a little more than an hour to kill before the next part of the plan could be executed, but what was he to do in that time? He wasn’t keen on actually entertaining the guests, and he shouldn’t be eating when he had to make sure he didn’t digest anything currently in his system.

 Kaz sat at one of the miraculously empty tables and feigned practicing his sleight-of-hand tricks. He had to at  _ least _ act like he was a mediocre magician. Not that the clothes didn’t serve their purpose as well.

 Kaz scratched lightly at his wrists. The material of the suit jacket was cheap, and Kaz would’ve killed for his tailored suit back in Ketterdam. He couldn’t fathom making a living while wearing a suit of this lack-luster quality. He pitied the magician he had left unconscious and tied up in a closet.

  His wrists weren’t the only thing that itched. He felt the urge to scratch the back of his neck when he sensed Inej’s presence approaching him. He turned to her as she slipped into the seat next to him.

 “What business?” He muttered. He had to admit he was irritated with Inej for siding with the others. He couldn’t afford to sit around and be plagued by the memories that resurfaced in the wagon.

 Inej flattened the skirt of her cream-colored dress and pressed her lips into a line. She was silent for a moment or two before she answered. “I wanted to see if you were okay.”

 Kaz leaned back in his chair. “Playing Mother Hen, are we, Inej?”

 “Ever since what happened in the wagon, you’ve been off,” Inej pressed on.

 “Nothing happened in the wagon.”

 “Kaz, you aren’t throwing me off. Is this because of your brother?”

 “This has nothing to do with my brother,” Kaz replied coldly.

 That was a lie, and it was possibly the biggest lie that had left Kaz’s lips. What happened in the wagon had almost everything to do with Jordie. Perhaps if Jordie had survived with Kaz, Kaz wouldn’t be revolted by even the barest brush of his knuckles against someone’s skin. Perhaps he would have leaned into Inej’s touch when she had asked if he’d die without fear. Perhaps he wouldn’t be in this situation now, lying to Inej when she obviously knew the truth.

 “Fine.” Inej’s voice wasn’t icy or harsh. If anything, it was almost the opposite: soft and warm.

 That couldn’t be said about the tension between the two. Kaz frowned as Inej fixed the silk shawl over her shoulders. She was furious with him. He could only tell this by the way she refused to look at him. The Wraith kept an eye on everyone, even if they were right beside her.

 Kaz sat with Inej for a few more minutes. Then he stood up and left.

 

**MATTHIAS**

 

 “I can’t believe him,” Nina fumed.

 She and Matthias watched as Kaz and Inej got into some sort of argument, followed by a few moments of silence between the two. Then Brekker had left.

 “Kaz is going to put his own plan at risk by leaving Inej to look like a heartbroken girl that will slaughter the next man that nears her. No girl from a pleasure house would look like that.  _ Especially _ not at a party. Tante Heleen will hear her Lynx is brooding at a table, she’ll go to investigate, and she’ll have Inej’s head on a silver platter within seconds.”

 Matthias set his hand on her forearm. “Nina, calm down. Right now  _ you _ look like a girl from a pleasure house who would slaughter the next man that nears you.”

 “Are you dead? No. I only want to slaughter  _ one _ man, and he isn’t even 18 yet.”

 Matthias watched the man Nina was referring to make his way to the refreshment tables. He wasn’t already going to start a scene, was he? Matthias could never tell when Brekker was going to go with the set plan or split off with his own surprises.

 Nina was still fuming. “Look at him! First, he calls Inej an investment, then he has the nerve to leave her alone when she specifically hunted him down to talk to him. Do you know what she said to me when we were in prison, Matthias?” She poked Matthias’ side. “She said she was worried about Kaz. She’s worried about Kaz even after he called her an investment. I can’t believe her determination.”

 Matthias thought back to the first day on the ship when Kaz had been so sure of Inej’s survival. Was it because she was an investment? Something to serve his greed?

 Then he remembered how Kaz had been a bit off in the prison. It was a barely noticeable change, but when you were back in your homeland as a traitor, you paid attention to even the finest details. Matthias remembered how he could almost feel the tension in Brekker’s shoulders when they split from Nina and Inej. A sort of panic filled Kaz’s eyes for a split moment before he went back to the normal “nonchalant thief” demeanor.

 “I think that if Kaz were any less of the bastard he is, he might’ve kissed her by now,” Matthias spoke slowly to avoid the feeling of an argument. Matthias wasn’t arguing. He was saying a fact.

 Nina gaped at him. “Kaz Brekker, Bastard of the Barrel,  _ kissing _ Inej? A bold statement, Fjerdan. Very bold.”

 “You have a bias against Kaz,” Matthias pointed out. “And in a way, I do too. But I’ve noticed things about him that you’ve blinded yourself to. You’ve allowed his legend to taint how you see him. He’s intimidating, yes, but he’s still young after all. He could actually be a demon, but even demons have feelings.”

 Nina let Matthias’s words settle in. Then she shook her head. “Kaz Brekker doesn’t have feelings. Everything about him is driven by greed. Everything feeds his reputation. Inej is nothing but a pawn to him.  _ We’re _ nothing but a pawn to him.”

 But as Matthias watched Kaz pick up two glasses of champagne, he wasn’t quite sure that Nina was right.


	2. Inej Wants Her Apology, But Not Like That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inej has successfully crossed the bridge to being drunk, and Kaz doesn't have the willpower to force her out of it.

**INEJ**

 

  Inej wanted an apology. She  _ deserved _ an apology. Kaz Brekker would apologize to Inej if it was the last thing he did. Inej would make sure of it. She had done too much for him. She had sacrificed too much for him just so she could be treated like the girl he saved from the Menagerie.

  It was an odd realization. Inej supposed it was a fact, but she was technically indentured to the Dregs. Kaz technically owed her nothing.

  Inej drearily watched the partygoers for a moment, her spiteful thoughts getting the better of her expressions.  _ Better terrible truths than kind lies _ , she thought sourly.

 Inej tensed when she felt someone approach her. “Care for champagne, Miss?”

  She turned around to make sure she wasn’t hearing things. She wasn’t. Kaz stood behind her chair, holding out a champagne glass. Inej tentatively took the glass from him, taking a quick moment to asses his slim fingers around the stem of the glass.

  She raised an eyebrow at him. He ignored her and slipped back into the chair beside her. They sat in silence for a moment, and Inej took the time to take in Kaz’s appearance. He was wearing brighter colors that he would have never worn voluntarily. His suit was a deep purple that contrasted nicely with his pale skin and satin gloves. Under the suit was a golden yellow waistcoat matching with the golden feather taking the place of a pocket square. His cape, which Inej was sure he loathed, was double-sided. It was bright red on the inside, and black on the other side. There was the finishing touch of a black bow tie which amused Inej because it looked rather childish compared to the sharp lines of Kaz’s face.

  Kaz was tapping his fingers against the base of his glass, and Inej decided to break the silence. “Thank you,” she said, bringing her own glass to her lips.

  Kaz finally turned to her, his eyes tracking the movement of the glass before he met her eyes. They stared at each other for a minute, maybe two, before Kaz turned away from her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Inej blinked and set her cup down. “What?”

  Kaz let out a frustrated groan and gripped the edge of the table. “I said I’m sorry.”

  Inej’s lips quirked up. That was a start. “What for?”

  “Saints, Inej. I’m sorry for being rude to you when you were just trying to care. I’m sorry for whatever it was that you wanted me to say sorry for at the harbor. I’m sorry.”

  It was an apology, yes, but Inej wasn’t one to settle so easily. “Thank you,” she murmured. 

  “You’re not going to accept the apology or say some Suli proverb?” Kaz sounded almost baffled, and Inej grinned at him.

  “To an accept an apology is to acknowledge that you believe it is sincere. I’m not so sure if you are sincere, but I appreciate the gesture.”

  Inej was extremely amused by the furious look on Kaz ‘s face. Getting a rise out of Kaz Brekker was no easy feat, especially when you were the Wraith. Jesper sure was rubbing off on her. Inej hid her smile behind another sip of champagne.

  “Kaz, don’t look so shocked. You’re infamous for being a liar and a thief. I’m surprised you haven’t come to the conclusion that most things you say should be taken with a grain of salt.”

  “I  _ created _ the impression that things I say should be taken with a grain of salt,” Kaz shot back.

  Inej raised her glass in a mock toast. “Here’s to you and the thousands of salt grains around the world.” She tipped back the glass and downed the rest of the champagne.

  Was it a bad idea? Of course. At the moment, Inej’s whole life was wavering on a bad idea. She wasn’t sure how well her life did on tightropes. She assumed she was about to find out.

  Kaz raised his eyebrows at her. “Would you like another glass?” he joked.

  Inej tilted her head to the side. “That’d be lovely.”

  The look on Kaz’s face was something Inej would cherish. It was the face of another man who had underestimated her.

 

**KAZ**

 

  Inej had already drunk two glasses of champagne, and now she was halfway through her third glass. Kaz should have stopped her, they still had a job to finish. He worried about their survival already, even without a drunk Wraith. He should have stopped her as easily as he would’ve stopped Jesper from playing a bad gamble. It should have been simple.

  It wasn’t.

  With each sip of champagne, Inej grew more giggly and relaxed. She was getting tipsy on Fjerdan champagne while Kaz was getting gorged on the little remarks and stories Inej was spouting. The Wraith catered to Kaz with information on merchants and bosses, gang members and storekeepers, but information on herself was a rarity.

  Inej had quieted down, if only for a second, and peered at Kaz with solemn eyes. Kaz stared back at her, awaiting a slurred Suli proverb.

  “I liked your eyes better when they were brown.” Inej sighed and turned her head to her glass. “Reminded me of dirt.”

  Kaz held back a snort of laughter. It was one of the least poetic things Inej had spoken, and yet it was a compliment.

  Inej noticed him stifling his laughter and pouted. “They do remind me of dirt! They remind me of the coffee and tea Mama made, or the chocolate Papa gave us on holidays. They remind me of the soft hair of a horse’s mane and the mud pies my little cousins found so much joy in.” She paused. “Your eyes remind me of home.”

  An odd sentiment coming from a Suli acrobat, and especially from who had endured so much. Kaz voiced this thought. “You don’t have a home because you never stay anywhere long enough. My eyes are filled with the tar of Ketterdam, and Ketterdam is not your home.”

  Inej rushed to defend her statement. “I know I’ve never had a place to call home, but your eyes remind me of what makes a home.”

  Kaz waited for Inej to elaborate and change the meaning of what she had said. He waited for her to backtrack out of the intimate words she had spoken. Inej let her finger run along the rim of her glass. She turned back to Kaz. “Ketterdam is the closest thing I have to a home.”

  Kaz wanted to revolt against this bold, reckless statement. Ketterdam was home to thieves. Whether they wore tailored suits or battered jackets, thieves felt at home in the city. It was not a place for a girl like Inej who had so much faith in the world and what it had to offer. It was definitely not a place for her to call home. It was blasphemous for her to even use Ketterdam and home in the same sentence, much less in a positive light.

  Kaz frowned at her and took the glass away from her hands. She made a sound resembling a growl but made no move to take the glass back. Kaz swirled the remaining champagne around the glass.

  “You’re tipsy.”

  “I am no such thing.”

  “Fine. Then you’re drunk, Inej.”

  Inej crossed her arms and tugged on her purple shawl. She turned away from him, and Kaz knew he had offended her. He put the champagne glass down on his right. Inej could reach over and grab it easily, but Kaz was hoping she didn’t. He didn’t want her getting any more alcohol in her system, and especially not on an empty stomach.

  “How about you eat something instead?” He suggested.

  It was a jarring change. Kaz didn’t suggest, he ordered or demanded. He didn’t have time to filter in anyone’s emotions, wants, or opinions into his plans. He should’ve ordered Inej to eat something in order to save the outcome of the mission, and maybe even shove appetizers down her throat if she refused to listen. (He would never do that. He knew it’d remind Inej of the Menagerie and she’d never speak to him again.)

  Instead, he had suggested she eat. She was tipsy, and for some reason, Kaz was pitying her. Perhaps he wasn’t pitying her. It was more like he was coddling her.

  As if sensing Kaz’s cognizance of his shifting attitude, Inej let a smirk pull at her lips.

  “You’re growing soft, Dirtyhands.”

  Kaz furrowed his brows. Was he growing soft? He thought back to every time he indulged Inej’s persistent pleas to go scout ahead or plant a device even though he knew how dangerous the odds were. He thought about how much more lenient he had been with Jesper ever since Inej had pointed out that he was “no better than a starving Volcra” when it came to treating his men. That didn’t mean he was soft, he was just changing tactics.

  “I’m not ‘growing soft,’ Wraith.”

  “Whatever you say.”  She smiled as if she knew a secret, then she broke into a grin when her eyes caught something behind Kaz.

  “Let’s get the chocolate-covered strawberries.”

  Kaz turned to see what had made Inej so excited; he looked just in time to see Jesper squish Wylan’s cheeks with one hand and feed him a chocolate strawberry with the other. He turned back to Inej, but she was already on her way over to the table.


End file.
